Event Archives

2010 Convention Review

The National Ice Cream Retailers Association elected new officers and board members at the 77th Annual Convention held November 10-13, 2010 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

Elected as president of the association was Lynn Dudek, Ruth Ann’s Ice Cream, North Muskegon, Michigan. Dan Messer, Eskamoe’s Frozen Custard & More, Monroe, Louisiana was elected as president elect. David Zimmermann, Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream, Bonita Springs, Florida was elected vice president. Nanette Frey, Frey’s Tasty Treats, East Amherst, New York was elected as secretary/treasurer. Bob Turner, Dairy Corner, Urbana, Ohio becomes immediate past president.

Each year, members of The National Ice Cream Retailers Association, who make their own ice cream, submit samples of their ice cream to a professor of dairy science and an independent laboratory, prior to the Annual Convention, to be analyzed and compared to ice cream standards. This year Dr. Johnny McGregor, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina analyzed samples of vanilla and chocolate ice cream submitted by members of the association. A total of 26 vanilla samples and 26 chocolate samples were submitted.

The ice cream is scored, according to color, texture, taste, bacterial count, and many other factors. Blue Ribbons are awarded to those scoring the highest marks, then Red Ribbons, and White Ribbons.

The following winners received their certificates at the Association’s 77th Annual Convention, held November 10-13, 2010 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee.

Next year the Ice Cream Clinic Review will examine vanilla and strawberry ice cream.

“Blueberry Pomegranate” Gelato Named Your Best New Flavor

“Blueberry Pomegranate” Gelato was named your best new flavor at the National Ice Cream Retailers Association Annual Meeting recently held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, November 10-13, 2010. Your Best New Flavor contest is held each year in conjunction with the Ice Cream Clinic Review at the annual meeting.

The ice cream is formulated and produced by Double Dip in Lebanon, Ohio. The company won the coveted First Place for its new flavor. A total of 30 new flavors were submitted by NICRA member companies. Each flavor is sampled by convention attendees, and a vote is taken by ballot at the meeting. The winner was announced during the annual banquet at the end of the meeting. Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream, Shelby Twp., Michigan, won second place for Suttons Bay Cherry Lemon Cake Ice Cream. Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream, Shelby Twp., Michigan, also won third place for Sweet and Salty Ice Cream. Honorable Mentions were given to Queen City Creamery, Cumberland, Maryland, for Coconut Cream Pie Frozen Custard; Henry’s Ice Cream, Plano, Texas, for Angel Ice Cream; and Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream for Scout’s Honor Mint Cookie Ice Cream.

“Snap O Lantern” Ice Cream Named Best Holiday Flavor

“Snap O Lantern” Ice Cream was named the best holiday flavor at the National Ice Cream Retailers Association Annual Meeting recently held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, November 10-13, 2010. The Best Flavor contest is held each year in conjunction with the Ice Cream Clinic Review at the annual meeting.

The ice cream is formulated and produced by Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company, Madison, Wisconsin. The company won the coveted First Place for its flavor. A total of 19 new holiday flavors were submitted by NICRA members. Each flavor is sampled by convention attendees and a vote is taken by ballot at the meeting. The winner was announced during the annual banquet at the end of the meeting. The Comfy Cow, Louisville, Kentucky, took second place for Bourbon Ball Ice Cream, and third place went to Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream, Plano, Texas, for Pay Day Ice Cream. Honorable Mentions went to Kool Cow Cabin Creamery for Apple Cranberry Crumb Ice Cream as well as Peppermint Cheese Cake Ice Cream; and to Custard Cone Frozen Custard for Brownie Batter Blast Frozen Custard.

Ten Students Win Bryce Thomson Scholarship Awards

During the NICRA Annual Meeting recently held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, it was announced that ten employees of member stores will each be receiving a scholarship award.

This year, during the silent and live auctions in Tennessee, $16,681 was raised for the Bryce Thomson Scholarship Fund. The suppliers also agreed to contribute $3,000 and the Board approved another $2,000 contribution. Janet Mitchell, Woodside Farm Creamery, and Pam Pitchford, JP’s Custard Cart, who coordinated both the silent and live auctions, did an outstanding job and the association is grateful to them.

The association would also like to thank the team of volunteers who helped coordinate everything, as well as Vince Giordano who was the auctioneer. Thanks also to everyone who donated an article for the auctions and also everyone who attended the convention and were so generous with their donations.

The Bryce Thomson Scholarship was established in 1995 to honor Bryce Thomson, a long time member and past president of the association and author of the monthly association publication, “The Sundae School Newsletter.” He worked for Miller Dairy in Eaton Rapids, Michigan for 40 years and eventually became president of the company. He is the originator of the “Ice Cream Sundae Poll,” and the “Education Through Ice Cream” program which assisted a number of secondary schools with a teaching and learning concept in which students served up frozen treats during the noon hour in an actual in-school ice cream parlor. The first, called the “Cold Tongue Ice Cream Parlor” was set up in Eaton Rapids, Michigan High School in 1973.

Leopold’s Ice Cream Wins Promotion of the Year Award

The 23rd Annual Promotion of the Year Award was presented to Stratton and Mary Leopold, Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah, Georgia at the National Ice Cream Retailers Association 77th Annual Meeting held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, November 10-13, 2010.

A total of six Association members submitted entries for consideration of the award. This year promotions were received from Carl and Debra Chaney, Chaney’s Dairy Barn, Bowling Green, Kentucky; Nini and Scott Curry, Fenton’s Creamery, Oakland, California; Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream, Plano, Texas; Stratton and Mary Leopold, Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah, Georgia; Anna Mercurio, Mercurio’s Mulberry Creamery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Beckie Jacobs, Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream, Webster Grove, Missouri. Summaries of all of the promotions were printed in the November/December 2010 issue of The National Dipper Magazine and the November issue of the NICRA Bulletin.

During the month of July Leopold’s Ice Cream in Savannah, Georgia began a promotional idea involving our great country and ice cream. With July being National Ice Cream Month and the month we celebrate our nation’s independence, Leopold’s Ice Cream owners Mary and Stratton Leopold came up with “I Pledge”.

What this promotion entailed was all kids 12 and under were welcome to recite from memory the Pledge of Allegiance to receive a free ice cream cone. Leopold’s set up a podium in front of the American flag in the store where kids would then recite the Pledge of Allegiance to a Leopold’s staff member. Once completed, the child would get a voucher for a free ice cream scoop in their choice of either a cup or a cone.

The event started on July 1st and continued every Monday in July (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the store.

The promotion was a great success as children from all over the Savannah area wanted to proudly recite the nation’s pledge for a scoop of ice cream. The promotion was helped by many forms of media, including local television stations running stories online and social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter helped spread the word of “I Pledge”. Along with news stories and radio spots, there were also flyers created to help promote a patriotic idea for the children of Savannah. The promotion was a great success.

Past Events

The ice cream cone was invented in 1896 with a patent being issued in 1903 to Italo Marchiony. The widespread use of ice cream cones occurred after its introduction at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and many credit this as the birth of the ice cream cone. So just like the birth of ice cream, nobody knows for sure when the cone really was invented.

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